Recipe: Steve Els's Slow-Cooked Pork Shoulder Burritos (oven roasted)

STEVE ELS'S SLOW-COOKED PORK SHOULDER BURRITOS

"This may sound oxymoronic, but the best fast food can take a while to make. Take Steve Els's killer burritos. Once you've prepared the components, the burritos themselves takes about a minute to assemble. But the reason they'll be some of the best burritos you've ever eaten is that the pork shoulder (one of my favorite cuts of meat) has spent three hours in the oven, getting tender and developing a swoon-worthy crust. The black beans get the oven treatment, too, which makes them unusually smoky and delicious."

FOR THE PORK:
2 tablespoons salt or to taste
1 tablespoon pepper or to taste
5 tablespoons finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1 (4- to 7-pound) pork shoulder (picnic or Boston butt), trimmed of excess but not all fat
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
FOR THE BEANS:
2 tablespoons corn, grapeseed, or other neutral oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound dried black beans, rinsed, picked over, and soaked in water overnight
1 teaspoon roughly chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
2 dried bay leaves
4 cups chicken stock
FOR THE BURRITOS:
15 flour tortillas
Hot cooked rice, sour cream or Mexican crema, guacamole, and pico de gallo (optional)

Combine the salt, pepper, and 3 tablespoons of the chopped chiles. Pierce meat all over with the point of a knife. Rub the chile mixture all over the exterior of the pork; if time allows, wrap in plastic or place in resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. If not, proceed.

WHEN YOU'RE READY TO COOK:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the thyme leaves all over the pork. Put the pork on a rack in a roasting pan, fat side down, and put in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, or until the pork begins to brown, then lower the heat to 350 degrees F and add one cup water to the bottom of the pan. Continue to roast, basting the pork with the pan juices and adding water to the bottom of the pan if it threatens to dry out, for about 3 hours, or until the interior temperature of the pork reaches 150 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Let the pork rest for at least 45 minutes. (Or longer, since it is best served warm or at room temperature.)

WHILE THE PORK COOKS, PREPARE THE BEANS:
Put a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they just begin to brown. Add the oregano, remaining 1/2 tablespoon of thyme, chile puree, and bay leaves, and stir. Then add the beans, stir, and add the stock. Put skillet in oven, and cook until beans are just tender, at least 1 1/2 hours.

TO MAKE THE BURRITOS:
The meat should be so tender that cutting it into uniform slices is difficult; rather, cut it as thinly as possible so that the meat is almost shredded.

Warm the tortillas, either by wrapping them in foil and putting them in a 300 degree F oven for ten minutes or by heating them individually in a large skillet over medium heat, flipping them when they begin to blister.

Spread a portion of the beans on each tortilla and top with a portion of the pork. (You can add rice, sour cream or Mexican crema, guacamole, and pico de gallo, as you wish.) Roll up and serve.

Makes 15 burritos
Adapted from source: The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman